Cast Off: Toronto Tales, Book 3

Thirty-five-year-old Rick Haviland is a well-respected speech pathologist, but while his friends are all settling into relationships, he refuses to give up his no-strings-attached club boy sex life. For him, relationships are dangerous; he's got a secret to hide. When he meets Ian O'Donnell, an account manager with a local tabloid, Rick figures his personal rules for relationships should be enough to keep him safe from more than a one-night stand.

Cover Up: Toronto Tales, Book 2

Detective Ivan Bekker has hit rock bottom. Not only is he recovering from a bad breakup with a cheating boyfriend, he's also involved in a drug bust gone bad. Ivan had to kill a man, and his friend was shot and is now fighting for his life. Though Ivan is under investigation for his part in the shooting, his boss sends him on an off-the-books undercover operation to close the case. The timing is critical - this could be their chance to plug a leak in the department.

The Mating of Michael

Everyone admires Michael Lamont for being a nurse, but his part-time work as a gay sex surrogate not only raises eyebrows, it's cost him relationships. Michael is small, beautiful, and dedicated to working with people who need him. But what he really wants is a love of his own. He spends most of his time reading science fiction, especially books written by his favorite author and long-time crush, the mysteriously reclusive J.C. Guise.

Mine

Trevan Bean has a job that's going from illegal to frightening, a boyfriend who may not be in his right mind, and a guardian angel who might actually be evil incarnate. Add to that the reappearance of his boyfriend's estranged family, death threats, kidnapping, and the struggle of saving money to realize a dream, and Trevan has a lot on his plate. But Trevan is up to the challenge: he promised Landry a happily ever after, and Landry's going to have it if it kills him! It just might.

Knight of Ocean Avenue

How can you be 25 and not know you're gay? Billy Ballew runs from that question. A high school dropout, barely able to read until he taught himself, Billy's life is driven by his need to help support his parents as a construction worker, put his sisters through college, coach his Little League team, and not think about being a three-time loser in the engagement department. Then, in preparation for his sister's big wedding, Billy meets Shaz - alias Chase Phillips - a rising-star celebrity stylist who defines the word gay.

Cop Out: Toronto Tales, Book 1

Detective Kurt O'Donnell is used to digging up other people's secrets, but when he discovers his slain partner was married to another man, it shakes him. Determined to do the right thing, Kurt offers the mourning Davy his assistance. Helping Davy through his grief helps Kurt deal with the guilt that his partner didn't trust him enough to tell him the truth, and somewhere along the way Davy stops being an obligation and becomes a friend, the closest friend Kurt has ever had. His growing attraction to Davy complicates matters, leaving Kurt struggling to reevaluate his sexuality.

Heart of the Race

Varro Dacien spends his life riding toward the next adventure. Brian Christie, his best friend and touchstone, the one person who's always truly seen him, plays sidekick on these madcap adventures and subsequent trips to the hospital until he can't take it anymore. While Brian can see Varro, Varro has never caught on that he's breaking his best friend's heart.

Ever the Same

Audie Barrack is in it up to his elbows with a sick calf when his son's school calls. When he walks into the principal's office, he's shocked to find his son has been fighting with a little girl named Randi. A little girl with one blind dad and one dad who recently passed away. Dixon is struggling to live as a blind man, Audie is terrified someone might see he has a closet to come out of, and everyone from the school to both men's families is worried for the men and their children.

Fire and Ice: Carlisle Cops, Book 2

Carter Schunk is a dedicated police officer with a difficult past and a big heart. When he's called to a domestic disturbance, he finds a fatally injured woman and a child, Alex, who is in desperate need of care. Child Services is called, and the last man on earth Carter wants to see walks through the door. Carter had a fling with Donald a year ago and found him as cold as ice since it ended.

Sultry Sunset: Mangrove Stories

When Mike came to Mangrove two years ago, Hutch gave him a job and a place to stay in his guesthouse, where Mike has remained ever since. Despite the rumors circulating about them, Hutch knows Mike is straight and looking for the right woman. But his friends disagree, and after some hints to the contrary, even Hutch finally has to admit that maybe the rest of the town sees something he's been missing.

Johnnie: Siphon, Book 1

A premier lion shifter, Hugh Landry dedicates his life to leading the Berk pride with strength and confidence. Hundreds of people depend on Hugh for safety, success, and happiness. And at over a century old, with more power than can be contained in one body, Hugh relies on a Siphon lion shifter to carry his excess force. When the Siphon endangers himself and therefore the pride, Hugh must pay attention to the man who has been his silent shadow for a decade.

The Way Things Are

A night of drunken confusion at 19 resulted in Patrick Connelly fathering a child. Determined to be there for his son, Patrick walked away from a sport he loved and forever hid his sexuality. After Patrick's brutal divorce and a vicious hate crime, his son, Jay, has become obsessed with graffiti. Patrick moves Jay to Seattle. Within two weeks, Jay is arrested again. Thinking things can't get any worse, he's confronted by the sexiest man he's ever seen - his son's new probation officer, Ken Atkins.

The Backup Boyfriend: Boyfriend Chronicles Series, Book 1

Professionally, Dr. Alec Johnson has almost reached his goals. As this year's recipient of a humanitarian award with his ex, Dr. Tyler Hall, Alec's work with the homeless is about to be recognized. Unfortunately, his personal life sucks because now he has to attend several events alongside Tyler - with his ex's new boyfriend in tow. In an attempt to lift his mood and break out of his rut, Alec purchases a motorcycle he has no idea how to start.

Nowhere Ranch

Ranch hand Roe Davis absolutely never mixes business with pleasure - until he runs into his boss, Travis Loving, at the only gay bar within 200 miles. Getting involved with the ranch owner is a bad idea, but Roe's and Travis's bedroom kinks line up against one another like a pair of custom-cut rails. As long as they're both clear this is sex on the side, no relationship, no interfering with the job, they could make it work

Eastern Cowboy

Brighton McKenzie inherited one of the last pieces of farmland in suburban Baltimore. It has been in his family since Maryland was a colony, though it has been fallow for years. Selling it for development would be easy, but Brighton wants to honor his grandfather's wishes and work it again. Unfortunately, an accident left him relying on a cane, so he'll need help. Tanner Houghton used to work on a ranch in Montana until a vengeful ex got him fired because of his sexuality. He comes to Maryland at the invitation of his cousin and is thrilled to have a chance to get back to the kind of work he loves.

Owning Corey

When introverted doctor Ben Hardy's high-maintenance girlfriend wants to introduce a little more kink into their love life, he doesn't expect it to come in the form of the hunky new EMT who just moved to Blackwood. Ben's not gay, but damn! He can definitely see why all the women turn to mush when he's around: tall, blue eyes, body of an underwear model. The prospect of being naked in the same room with him is horrifying. So why the hell is he considering it?

Rise & Fall: THIRDS, Book 4

After an attack by the Coalition leaves THIRDS Team Leader Sloane Brodie critically injured, agent Dexter J. Daley swears to make Beck Hogan pay for what he's done. But Dex's plans for retribution are short-lived. With Ash still on leave with his own injuries, Sloane in the hospital, and Destructive Delta in the Coalition's crosshairs, Lieutenant Sparks isn't taking any chances.

Here for You

Cole Gannon arrives in the seaside town of Ocean Vista to work as a bartender and finally find a place to belong. Determined to make a home for himself, Cole lives happily with his four colorful roommates, whom he considers brothers. The only problem is Cole's attraction to Ian Stark - a guy all wrong for him. He wishes he didn't keep running into the sexy lawyer.

Making Nice

Twins Blake and Bianca Dunlap have always been there for each other, ready to lend support and make sacrifices. Blake can't imagine a bigger sacrifice than getting along with Bianca's fiancé, Matt. Matt turns out to be more than the meathead Blake had dismissed him as, but Matt's best friend, Ryan Everett, is a different story. Ryan seems intent on being an insufferable jerk as often as possible. The fact that Blake is undeniably attracted to Ryan only makes the whole situation more annoying.

Camp Hell: PsyCop, Book 5

Victor Bayne honed his dubious psychic skills at one of the first psych training facilities in the country, Heliotrope Station, otherwise known as Camp Hell to the psychics who've been guests behind its razorwire fence.

Guarding Morgan: Sanctuary, Book 1

Morgan Drake is the only witness to a murder in an alleyway. Nik Valentinov works for Sanctuary, a foundation offering witness protection to anyone whose safety is compromised. Morgan discovers a bodyguard's arms can offer more than protection. Morgan is the only person who can give evidence for prosecuting the cop responsible for the crime. When the FBI safe house where he's being held is compromised, he follows the instructions of the agent in charge and runs.

Hawk's Pretty Baby: Brac Pac 2

Hawk Magnar, commander of twelve sentry wolves, never thought he'd discover his mate in a hospital for an anxiety attack. Under the illusion he was going to comfort a young child the alpha's mate, Cecil, had befriended, he finds a man who needs more protection than even anyone realizes. Treated as a simpleton all his life, Johnny Stone has never had anything to call his own - until he meets Hawk.

The Only Easy Day: Sanctuary, Volume 2

Dale MacIntyre works for Sanctuary. He's the acting handler for a member of the Bullen family's inner circle. He is close to obtaining the evidence he needs to prove Elisabeth Costains death was ordered by them... until someone gets in his way. Joseph Kinnon is back on US soil for the first time in months, and he is told the tragic news that his stepsister is dead. He is determined to find out who murdered her... until someone gets in his way.

Down and Dirty: Cole McGinnis Mysteries

From the moment former LAPD detective Bobby Dawson spots Ichiro Tokugawa, he knows the man is trouble. And not just because the much younger Japanese inker is hot, complicated, and pushes every one of Bobby's buttons. No, Ichi is trouble because he's Cole McGinnis' younger brother and off-limits in every possible way. And Bobby knows that even before Cole threatens to kill him for looking Ichi's way. But despite his gut telling him Ichi is bad news, Bobby can't stop looking...or wanting.

Publisher's Summary

Thirty-five-year-old Rick Haviland is a well-respected speech pathologist, but while his friends are all settling into relationships, he refuses to give up his no-strings-attached club-boy sex life. For him, relationships are dangerous; he's got a secret to hide. When he meets Ian O'Donnell, an account manager with a local tabloid, Rick figures his personal rules for relationships should be enough to keep him safe from more than a one-night stand.

When Ian comes out of the closet, tired of anonymous hook-ups and keeping secrets from his large Catholic family, Rick is right there, and he's just the sort of man Ian might like to get to know better. Their attraction is immediate, electric and mutual. Ian convinces Rick to break more and more of his rules, and his defenses crumble. But someone watches, someone who'd like to see this new relationship fail. When Ian's job becomes a means to expose Rick's secret, it could destroy both their careers and their hearts.

I'm beginning to think Cop Out was a fluke. I loved that book and was SO excited to read all the others in the series. Sadly, neither of the two other books lived up to the first.

I'll start with the positives. I have a thing for the audiobook narrator for this series, Tristan James, and his wide range of voices. Though he was slightly off his game in this book (kind of lacking emotion), I still enjoyed his take on this story. I also liked re-visiting the Toronto Tales world, seeing the MCs from the first in the series, and seeing Ian's big family again. It felt sweet to me, like coming home.

I think that the story was pleasant enough, with lots of potential, but it had some missteps that made my rating go way down.

First of all, I hated the whole "mystery" element. It was dumb and, in the end, really made light of a serious series of criminal acts. It also came out of left field, and I was left with more than a few questions about logistics and motivations. I won't say much more because I don't want to give away spoilers, but it just didn't work for me.

Aside from that, I wasn't feeling Rick and Ian together. I'm all for slow burn romances (they are my favorite) but this book dragged on and on for me. It took forever for anything real to happen between the two MCs, and I was a bit bored, to be honest. I thought that all of Rick's hangups were irritating, and I know he was supposed to be a sympathetic character but I didn't really "get" him. In reality, I really felt bad for Ian for having to maneuver through all of Rick's crap.

Though it wasn't a bad story, I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as I was expecting to. Rick was too immature and Ian was too "blah" for me to get emotionally connected.

This is the 3rd book of the series. However, I read the first book (Cop Out) and I think this book is really the sequel to the first book as it involves Kurt's brother Ian, who makes appearances in Cop Out. I haven't read the 2nd book, but reading the 1st helps with this one. Now the review. I really enjoyed this book and Tristan James as the narrator is just wonderful. Since this also involves a big Irish family, his wonderful brogue makes an appearance. I also like that we get both MCs POV. The relationship between Ian and Rick is a complicated one because of Rick's past. The blurb implies that Ian's "coming out" is a big part of the story, but it really isn't. It is primarily a story of Rick overcoming the "rules" he has imposed on all his relationships and taking a chance with Ian. And the author does a cute little twist at the end so it is not totally predictable. I connected with both MCs and enjoyed their journey to finding love. Worth a credit.

Tristan James. He's my favorite narrator of all I've listened to so far and he made even the slow, draggy parts pleasant. I liked how he made each character sound distinctive and how he injected emotions into some of the scenes without overdoing it (unlike the narrator for Hot Head who overdid it... Still have bad memories about that one)

Who was your favorite character and why?

Well... My favorite character is actually Parker from the second book who had a brief cameo in this one. Yes, Ian and Rick were likable enough... But to borrow Ian's own words, they were both Drama Llamas in this one.

What does Tristan James bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Just excellent narration all around. If I was reading this on my own, I would have put it aside during some of the boring parts (of which there were quite a few) and probably would have taken longer to finish it. But with Tristan James narrating, I listened to it in one sitting.

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